Atlanta Braves – MLB Trade Rumors2019-01-21T21:20:09Zhttps://www.mlbtraderumors.com/feed/atomWordPressConnor Byrnehttps://www.mlbtraderumors.com/?p=1453152019-01-21T15:52:16Z2019-01-21T15:52:36ZJan. 21: The Braves have also “checked on” a trade involving Pederson, tweets Jon Heyman of Fancred. It’s still not clear how many teams have been in contact with L.A., nor is it clear whether there’s any momentum surrounding a potential Pederson deal. However, the connection with Atlanta is only logical. The Braves have an obvious corner-outfield vacancy at the moment, and Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos spent the 2016-17 seasons as the Dodgers’ vice president of baseball operations before accepting his current position.

Jan. 20: The Dodgers are discussing outfielder Joc Pederson in potential deals, and the White Sox are among the teams they’re talking to, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports. It’s unclear, though, whether the two sides are making progress in those conversations.

Speculatively, trading Pederson could further open up room in LA for free-agent center fielder A.J. Pollock, whom the team is pursuing. And essentially swapping the lefty-swinging Pederson for the right-handed Pollock would enable the Dodgers’ lineup to become more balanced, which is reportedly among their offseason objectives. At the same time, though, waving goodbye to Pederson would mean losing a productive, affordable player who’s under arbitration control through the 2020 season. He’ll earn a reasonable $5MM this year after avoiding arbitration earlier this month.

While the 26-year-old Pederson has never been effective versus left-handed pitchers, who have held him to a woeful .181/.266/.317 line since he debuted in 2014, it has been a different story against righties. Most recently, Pederson posted an overall .248/.321/.522 line (126 wRC+) in 2018 with 25 home runs and 2.7 fWAR over 443 plate appearances. Despite his limitations against same-handed hurlers, Pederson has approached or exceeded 3.0 fWAR in three of the past four seasons. That type of production would be welcome in Chicago, whose outfield ranked dead last in fWAR (minus-1.2) in 2018. The unit has since lost one of its regulars, now-Ray Avisail Garcia, who was merely a replacement-level player last season, though it did add Jon Jay in free agency. Jay had a subpar 2018 in his own right, however, and hasn’t offered particularly strong production over the past few years.

Jay’s now part of a group which also includes Daniel Palka, Adam Engel and Leury Garcia, though all three of those outfielders registered underwhelming results last year. Fortunately for the White Sox, they do have a premier outfield prospect in Eloy Jimenez, whom they figure to promote early in the season and who could make a significant impact from the get-go. But Jimenez’s presence isn’t going to prevent the White Sox from trying to upgrade elsewhere in the grass, evidenced by their interest in Pederson and their pursuit of free-agent standout Bryce Harper.

Reports from earlier today suggested the White Sox had interest in Dodgers outfielder Joc Pederson, and The Athletic’s David O’Brien (Twitter link) opines that the Braves also make sense as a Pederson suitor. Atlanta is in need of an outfielder to line up next to Ronald Acuna and Ender Inciarte, and Pederson offers some power and two years of team control. The Braves also have right-handed hitting bench options (Charlie Culberson, Adam Duvall, Johan Camargo) to platoon with Pederson, who struggles against left-handed pitching.

With the Braveslooking for help in the grass, general manager Alex Anthopoulos revealed Saturday that there are “probably” three outfielders available who fit what the club is seeking, David O’Brien of The Athletic tweets. Anthopoulos added one or more of those players has been in trade discussions but has not made it into the rumor mill, per O’Brien, who surmises that free agents A.J. Pollock and Nick Markakis and Diamondbacks outfielder David Peralta could make up at least a couple of the Braves’ targets. The Braves have been connected to all three throughout the winter, and the easiest to acquire would likely be Markakis, who capped off a four-year run in Atlanta with a solid showing in 2018. But as a 35-year-old corner outfielder with an unspectacular resume, it’s obvious Markakis – unlike Pollock – is not a candidate to land a long-term contract.

Back to the Braves, who should get back a couple of their own key pitchers in time for spring training. Both starter Mike Soroka and reliever Darren O’Day are on track to return after injury-shortened seasons, Gabe Burns of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution details. The 21-year-old Soroka was terrific during a five-start, 25 2/3-inning major league debut in 2018, but he last took the mound June 19 on account of shoulder inflammation. He’s now a favorite to win a starting spot in Atlanta heading into 2019, Burns observes. O’Day, meanwhile, underwent season-ending hamstring surgery in late June, but the Braves nonetheless took him from the Orioles a month later in a deal headlined by Kevin Gausman. The 36-year-old O’Day had been amid another quality season before he went down, continuing a long run of effectiveness. With a $9MM salary, he’s currently the Braves’ most expensive reliever.

]]>96Ty Bradleyhttps://www.mlbtraderumors.com/?p=1452382019-01-19T20:20:57Z2019-01-19T20:19:21ZThe latest from the National League . . .

Following Thursday’s departure of reliever Adam Ottavino to New York, the Denver Post’s Patrick Saunders spoke with GM Jeff Bridich about the state of affairs in the team’s bullpen. On the heels of last offseason’s months-long reliever binge, which saw the club devote nearly a third of its payroll space to the most fickle asset in the game, Colorado apparently couldn’t save room for dessert. The club didn’t offer Ottavino a contract, preferring instead to take its chances with the current crop: “We need last year’s decisions to pitch better than they did in 2018,” said Bridich. “It’s not a lack of talent or a sudden inability to perform well. But they need to do a better job.” Bryan Shaw, Mike Dunn, and Jake McGee, though, did exhibit a sudden inability to perform well, as the trio combined for an ugly -0.7 fWAR in 118 combined IP. Wade Davis, too, was hardly himself in ’18, stranding just 66.9% of baserunners – down from an MLB-best 87.5% from 2014-17 – en route to his lowest career output. Scott Oberg, who began the year in AAA despite being arguably being the team’s most effective pre-spree reliever, again paced the returning bunch, limiting homers at an elite rate and continuing to maintain a stellar walk rate.

President of baseball operations John Mozeliak provided injury updates on two key Cardinals during a Saturday chat with Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Outfielder Marcell Ozuna, who was bothered all season by a nagging shoulder injury that ultimately required surgery, hasn’t yet begun throwing, and the club “isn’t sure” if he’s taken hacks in the cage, either. Ozuna has spurned treatment at the club’s spring facility in favor of offseason rehab in his native Dominican Republic, which Mozeliak deemed “not ideal,” but the 28-year-old outfielder, who heavily regressed toward his established mean last season after a breakout 2017, has expressed no reservations about his outlook for the upcoming season. Reliever Luke Gregerson, who was limited to just 12 1/3 IP last season after a shoulder injury of his own, “hasn’t felt right” in offseason workouts, and the club isn’t anticipating much from him in Spring Training. The soon-to-be 35-year-old Gregerson has endured one of the game’s heaviest reliever workloads since debuting in 2009, accruing a staggering 611 IP over that span, and appearing in an MLB-high 623 games from 2009-17.

Per GM Alex Anthopoulos (h/t to the Atlanta Journal Constitution’s Gabe Burns on Twitter), the Braves have made an outfield acquisition their top priority at current, and a move “may be resolved soon.” The club, of course, has been linked to still-available A.J. Pollock (who would cost the team a second-round draft pick if signed) and the recently-departed Nick Markakis to fill its vacancy at one outfield spot. With an overflow of starting pitching talent in the upper minors, the team seems better positioned than almost any to fill its hole via trade, but has thus far shown little interest in doing so. The Blue Jay version of Anthopoulos was an ardent mover of minor-league assets, shuffling talent in all directions when circumstances dictated, but has been far more cautious in his short time with Atlanta. With a still-unsettled rotation mix, perhaps this strategy is prudent, but distancing his club from the ravenous NL East pack will almost surely require a return to old ways for the young Braves GM.

Right-hander Jonathan Aro is headed to the Braves on a minor league contract, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reports (via Twitter). The 28-year-old hasn’t cracked a big league roster since 2016 and has only 11 MLB frames under his belt in all. However, Aro does have a career 3.14 ERA with 8.3 K/9, 2.6 BB/9 and 0.6 HR/9 in 174 2/3 innings at the Triple-A level. He’s spent the past two seasons with the Triple-A affiliates for the Mariners (2017) and the Padres (2018).

The Braves likely wouldn’t offer Craig Kimbrel more than three years to bring him back to Atlanta, writes Mark Bowman of MLB.com, and even then, the average annual value Kimbrel figures to seek could prove prohibitive. The outfield and the rotation, it seems, are still larger priorities for Atlanta decision-makers. Bowman notes that the Braves have not pursued Adam Jones in free agency despite a clear corner outfield opening, instead citing Nick Markakis as the likeliest free agent for the team to pursue.

]]>126Jeff Toddhttps://www.mlbtraderumors.com/?p=1447812019-01-16T14:58:18Z2019-01-16T14:58:18ZThe Braves burst out of the gates this winter with the signings of Josh Donaldson and Brian McCann, but it has been crickets in Atlanta ever since. Here’s the latest …

Appearing at a team-sponsored event, GM Alex Anthopoulos discussed the status of the team’s roster-building efforts, as attendee and SB Nation contributor Stacy Marlow documented (Twitterlinks). Unsurprisingly, he did not divulge much in the way of specifics, but did provide some worthwhile snippets. Anthopoulos suggested the team was not heavily engaged on a “quiet” catching market, but would not rule out a move if the right opportunity comes along. He also seemingly reiterated a familiar stance on free agent outfielder Nick Markakis, indicating that the sides are still keeping an open line and weighing a reunion.

The Braves relief unit is certainly an area of potential improvement, but Anthopoulos’s comments suggest he has been lying in wait in hopes of securing good value in that area. He says that he only just spoke with a free agent reliever for the first time recently, indicating that the club has not been in on the quality pitchers that have already signed — many of them for fairly hefty salaries. Anthopoulos added that his expectation is that contract demands will begin to drop as Spring Training approaches. As we’ve often discussed over the past two years, teams are exhibiting much greater patience in free agency. Whether players and their agents can match that discipline and regain some leverage remains to be seen.

Most tantalizing, however, were Anthopoulos’s comments regarding one possible swap that’s evidently in the works. “There’s one trade concept right now that 70% of the deal we would agree to, the 30% is probably where we are going back and forth,” he said. “I don’t know if we are going to get it done, but the main piece of the deal I think we ultimately would be ok, it’s the add on.” Certainly, this not-yet-completed arrangement could involve any number of possible players, but it’s at least notable to learn that there could soon be some action.

One significant factor in the development of the offseason for the Braves, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (subscription link), is the team’s hesitation to part with a draft selection to sign a player who declined a qualifying offer. There were six such players, only two of whom have signed to this point. Several are at least hypothetical targets for Atlanta, with the team reportedly showing real interest in outfielder A.J. Pollock. Rosenthal writes that the Braves are worried about the draft compensation that would be required to land Pollock — in their case, a second-round pick that’ll end up being sixty-something overall. Specifically, he says, the Braves “value the selection more than most clubs” because of the amateur talent penalties the team was slapped with in late 2017. If that is indeed a position the team itself holds, it’s somewhat less than compelling. The Braves certainly aren’t alone in valuing draft selections. Like their competitors, they must consider the future talent pipeline. It’s especially tough to see the club as uniquely situated when it still possesses a bounty of young talent at the major and minor league levels.

One possibility that’s seemingly still on the table for the Braves is a move to land Sonny Gray of the Yankees. Gabriel Burns of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution recently discussed the concept, on the heels of a report from Jon Heyman of Fancred (Twitter link) that suggested the Braves could still be pursuer as the New York org again tries to make a deal on the veteran righty. As Burns explains, it’s not exactly a perfect fit, given Gray’s recent struggles and the Braves’ own needs, but it’s possible to imagine a match and the org has clearly shown prior interest. What’s most interesting, perhaps, is what a hypothetical acquisition of Gray would mean for Julio Teheran — another still-youthful, not-inexpensive starter who is looking to regain his prior form. Understandably, the Braves do not appear to view the rotation as the first order of business. The opening in right field no doubt remains the top priority, with some of the other possibilities discussed above arguably also rating as greater needs. All said, there’s still quite a bit of work to do this winter for Anthopoulos and co.

While a rumor sprang up this evening that the Braves had a deal with Marwin Gonzalez, that doesn’t seem to have any legs. Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deports tweets that the Atlanta organization has not made any offers to the free agent, though it has shown interest in him. Presumably, the Braves see Gonzalez as a potential option in the corner outfield for the coming season. His versatility would be an asset, too, as he’d be capable of covering in the infield if a need arose in the near or long term. Of course, it remains unclear whether the Braves will pursue a multi-year deal with Gonzalez or another free agent, or whether they’ll try to wait out the market in hopes of securing a quality player on a short-term deal.

The Braves, with an opening in their outfield, are among potential bidders for free agent A.J. Pollock, Buster Olney of ESPN observes (subscription required). Although, Mark Bowman of MLB.com notes there’s “hesitance” in submitting a multiyear offer to Pollock, who’s already 31 and has battled significant injury issues on an all-too-regular basis. A one-year deal could be sensible for Atlanta, however, as Bowman contends that the team has the financial flexibility to make such a move. But as Olney points out, signing Pollock – who rejected the Diamondbacks’ qualifying offer – would cost the Braves their second-round pick in this summer’s draft. The club could view that as a fairly steep price to pay for a short-term solution.

More on the Braves, who have hired Dana Brown as vice president of scouting, per Bowman. The 51-year-old Brown will help take over for longtime director of scouting Brian Bridges, whom the Braves dismissed Wednesday, as Carlos Collazo of Baseball America was among those to cover. Brown had been with the Blue Jays the past nine seasons, and he’ll now reunite in Atlanta with close friend and Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos, who was Toronto’s GM from 2009-15.

]]>207Steve Adamshttps://www.mlbtraderumors.com/?p=1438962019-01-12T18:50:18Z2019-01-12T18:15:47ZThe deadline for players and teams to exchange arbitration figures passed yesterday at 1pm ET, and there has been a landslide of settlements on one-year deals to avoid an arbitration hearing. We’ll track those settlements from the National League in this post. Once all of the day’s settlements have filtered in, I’ll organize them by division to make them a bit easier to parse.

It’s worth mentioning that the vast majority of teams have adopted a “file and trial” approach to arbitration, meaning that once arbitration figures are exchanged with a player, negotiations on a one-year deal will cease. The two parties may still discuss a multi-year deal after that point, but the majority of players who exchange figures with their team today will head to an arbitration hearing.

Rounding out contract numbers for the St. Louis Cardinals, Dominic Leone will take home $1.26MM, Chasen Shreve will make $900K, and outfielder Marcell Ozuna will earn $12.25MM in his last season before free agency, per MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand (via Twitter). Ozuna has the most high-impact potential as he looks to rebound from a still-productive season in 2018 that saw his power output hindered at times by a balky shoulder. He still managed 23 home runs and a .280/.325/.433 slash line while playing just about every day outside of a 10-day DL stint late in August.

The Rockies and starting pitcher Jon Gray have come to an agreement on a $2.935MM deal, per Feinsand (via Twitter). Gray had an up-and-down 2018 that is generally considered to be more promising than the optics of his 5.12 ERA make it seem.

The Dodgers have lined up deals with all of their arbitration-eligible players, J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group reports (Twitterlinks). Shortstop Corey Seager is slated to receive $4MM as a first-time arb eligible player. Seager had only a $2.6MM projection, but was clearly rewarded for the excellent output he turned in before missing all of the 2018 season due to Tommy John surgery. Reliever Josh Fields went for $2.85MM, Hoornstra adds on Twitter.

The Marlins and J.T. Realmuto reached a $5.9MM agreement for the upcoming season, tweets Jon Heyman of Fancred. As perhaps the premier trade chip in baseball, Realmuto’s salary is of particular note for interested teams. He’d been projected at $6.1MM and can be controlled for another two seasons. Meanwhile, infielder Miguel Rojas will earn $3.155MM, per Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald (on Twitter). He’s controllable through 2020 and was projected to earn $2.6MM, so he quite nicely topped our projection.

Anthony DeSclafani agreed to a $2.125MM salary with the Reds, tweets Murray, which tops his $2.1MM projection by a narrow sum of $25K. The oft-injured righty will be expected to play a key role in an improving Cincinnati rotation this season and can be controlled through 2020.

The D-backs and third baseman Jake Lamb are in agreement on a $4.825MM salary for next season, Murray tweets. That closely resembles the $4.7MM projection for Lamb, who’ll look to bounce back from shoulder troubles and reestablish himself before reaching free agency after the 2020 season.

The Diamondbacks and Taijuan Walker settled at $5.025MM, tweets Murray. Walker, who’ll miss a portion of the 2019 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery last April, had been projected to earn the same $4.825MM he made last season, which is common for players who miss an entire season. However, he’ll get a small raise after making three starts. Walker is controlled through 2020.

Junior Guerra and the Brewers agreed at $2.225MM, Murray tweets, which checks in a bit south of Guerra’s $2.7MM projection. The late-blooming righty is controlled through the 2022 season. Murray adds that catcher Manny Pina will earn $1.6MM next year after being projected at $1.8MM. He’s controllable through 2021.

Padres right-hander Kirby Yates agreed to a $3.0625MM deal that falls nicely in line with his $3MM projection, Murray tweets. Controlled for another two seasons, Yates has established himself as a high-quality reliever in recent years and figures to be among the game’s more prominent trade chips this summer.

Reds second baseman Scooter Gennett has agreed to a $9.775MM salary for his final season of club control prior to free agency, tweets Nightengale Jr. He falls a bit shy of his $10.7MM projection, though a near-$10MM payday for Gennett is nonetheless indicative of how much he’s elevated his status since being claimed by the Reds two years ago.

Righty Michael Wacha and the Cardinals are in agreement on a $6.35MM salary that is within striking distance of his $6.6MM projection (Twitter link via Nightengale). Wacha will be a free agent next winter.

The Mets agreed to a $6MM salary with right-hander Noah Syndergaard, tweets Nightengale. That comes in $100K north of the $5.9MM projection for “Thor,” who is still controllable for another three seasons.

Thomas Harding of MLB.com tweets that the Rockies agreed to a $960K salary for the 2019 season with catcher Tony Wolters. A rough season at the plate didn’t help Wolters’ earning power, and he’ll come in a bit shy of his $1.1MM projection. Murray tweets that the Rox are also in agreement with southpaw Tyler Anderson on a $2.625MM salary. He’d been projected for $2.9MM. Wolters is controllable for another four years as a Super Two player, while Anderson can be controlled for three.

Newly acquired Brewers left-hander Alex Claudio agreed to a $1.275MM salary for the 2019 season, Murray tweets. Claudio, who can be controlled by Milwaukee for three seasons, was projected to earn $1.3MM.

Trea Turner and the Nationals avoided a hearing by settling on a one-year deal worth $3.725MM, tweets Murray. That figures to represent one of the more significant misses from MLBTR’s arbitration algorithm this season, as Turner had been projected at $5.3MM as a first-time-eligible Super Two player. The star-caliber shortstop will nonetheless be poised for enormous earnings in arbitration, as he’ll be eligible three more times before reaching free agency after the 2022 season.

Cubs lefty Mike Montgomery avoided arbitration with a one-year, $2.44MM contract, tweets Wittenmyer. Montgomery, eligible for arbitration for the first time and controllable for another three years, was projected to earn $3MM.

The Rockies and right-hander Chad Bettis settled on a $3.35MM salary for 2019, tweets Nightengale. He’d been projected at $3.2MM and is controlled through the 2020 season.

Giants reliever Will Smith has agreed to a $4.225MM salary for his final season of team control, Nightengale tweets. Smith’s outstanding 2018 season will push his arbitration salary a bit north of his $4.1MM projection as he gears up for his final season before reaching free agency.

Diamondbacks southpaw Robbie Ray is set to earn $6.05MM next season after agreeing to a one-year deal, per Nightengale. That lands with in $50K of Ray’s $6.1MM projection. The left-hander is controlled through the 2020 season.

The Marlins and right-hander Jose Urena settled at a $3.2MM salary for the 2019 campaign, Murray tweets, That figure checks in a bit shy of the $3.6MM projected for Urena, who is arb-eligible for the first time this offseason and remains under club control through the 2021 season. Meanwhile, Nightengale tweets that Dan Straily will earn a $5MM salary in 2019, topping his $4.8MM projection by $200K. Straily can be controlled through 2020.

Kyle Schwarber and the Cubs have avoided arbitration with a one-year deal worth $3.39MM, tweets Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times. That checks in slightly north of his $3.1MM projection as a first-time eligible player. Schwarber is controlled for another three seasons.

The Braves and righty Dan Winkler settled at $1.61MM, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com (Twitter link). That tops MLBTR’s projection by the slightest of margins, at $10K. Winkler is controllable through the 2020 season.

Right-hander/pinch-hitter extraordinaire Michael Lorenzen and the Reds settled at $1.95MM, tweets Murray. He’d been projected to earn $1.9MM. Lorenzen is a Super Two player who’s eligible for arbitration for the second time this winter. Cincinnati can control him through the 2021 season, and he’ll be arb-eligible twice more. Bobby Nightengale Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer adds that Jose Peraza agreed to a one-year deal worth $2.775MM. The shortstop is a first-time eligible Super Two player who’d been projected at $3.6MM.

The Braves announced that they’ve signed Charlie Culberson to a one-year deal worth $1.395MM, which lines up near perfectly with his $1.4MM projection. It’s his first trip through the arbitration process, and the Braves can control him through the 2021 season. Murray tweets that the Braves also settled at $2.875MM with outfielder Adam Duvall, who’d been projected at $3.1MM.

Corey Knebel and the Brewers settled on a one-year, $5.125MM salary for the upcoming season, tweets Murray. The right-hander is in his second trip through arbitration as a Super Two player and had been projected at $4.9MM. He’s controlled through the 2021 season.

The Cubs and right-hander Kyle Hendricks agreed to a one-year deal worth $7.405MM, tweets Fancred’s Jon Heyman. He’d been projected at $7.6MM and will be arb-eligible once more next winter before reaching free agency.

Right-hander Mike Foltynewicz and the Braves settled at one year and $5.475MM, tweets Bob Nightengale of USA Today, which lines up very closely with his $5.5MM projection. Folty’s breakout season netted him a substantial raise from last year’s $2.2MM, and he’ll be arb-eligible twice more before reaching free agency after the 2021 season.

Braves closer Arodys Vizcaino has agreed to a one-year deal worth $4.8MM, tweets Robert Murray of The Athletic. That matches his $4.8MM salary projection on the dot. It’s the 28-year-old’s final season of arbitration eligibility, as he’ll be a free agent next winter.

The Diamondbacks avoided arbitration with lefty reliever Andrew Chafin by agreeing to a one-year deal worth $1.945MM, tweets Murray. He’ll top his $1.8MM projection by a slight margin and will be arb-eligible once more next winter before hitting free agency following the 2020 season.

]]>41Jeff Toddhttps://www.mlbtraderumors.com/?p=1438792019-01-11T01:42:03Z2019-01-11T01:42:03ZThe Braves have emerged victorious from a grievance proceeding filed by the MLB Players Association on behalf of 2018 first-round draft pick Carter Stewart, MLB.com’s Mark Bowman was among those to report. As a result, the Atlanta organization will remain eligible to receive the ninth overall pick in this year’s draft as compensation.

Stewart, a high-school righty out of Georgia, was selected eighth overall — a pick that came with a slot value of just under $5MM. While the expectation was that the sides would line up on a deal, that never came to fruition. It emerged that Stewart’s medical review had turned up a wrist ligament issue that ultimately impacted the team’s valuation.

The grievance, it seems, revolved around the question whether the Braves actually made Stewart an offer of at least 40% of the slot value, as is required for a club to obtain a compensatory pick in the ensuing year’s draft. Evidently, the panel determined that matter in the team’s favor. Bowman says the Braves’ top offer never exceeded $2MM (just over the minimum) after the health issue arose; clearly, Stewart’s camp found that insufficient.

It’s an unfortunate situation for Stewart, of course. He ultimately chose to join the JuCo ranks in hopes of potentially reentering the draft this summer. Things turned out better for the Braves. No doubt, the club would have preferred to sign the player they selected at full health. But they’ll end up with nearly the same pick in the upcoming draft, opening the door to more high-end talent.

]]>65Steve Adamshttps://www.mlbtraderumors.com/?p=1437612019-01-10T21:01:14Z2019-01-10T19:17:13ZNow that Yasmani Grandal has agreed to terms with the Brewers, the Marlins are ramping up trade talks surrounding J.T. Realmuto and are in “substantive discussions” with six teams, reports Joe Frisaro of MLB.com. Frisaro pegs the Dodgers, Braves, Astros, Rays, Padres and Reds as the six teams still in the mix for Realmuto. Frisaro further tweets that the Dodgers “may be [the] most motivated” to land Realmuto of the six current suitors.

As one would expect, the report indicates that Miami’s asking price remains extremely high — at least one elite prospect and, in some cases, a big league catcher with some MLB experience already under his belt. For the six clubs in question, the Dodgers (Austin Barnes), Astros (Max Stassi), Padres (Austin Hedges) and Rays (Michael Perez) would best fit that billing. The Reds, too, have Tucker Barnhart as a catcher with MLB experience, though he’s signed through 2021 (plus a 2022 option) as part of a $16MM extension. He’s previously been rumored as a potential piece in talks with the Marlins, but while his salary isn’t exactly prohibitive, it’d be more logical to see Miami pursue younger, pre-arbitration options who are not yet eligible for arbitration. None of the aforementioned catchers, of course, would be a centerpiece to the deal but could give the Marlins a near-term replacement while they hope for higher-end talent to emerge from their system.

When and whether anything more significant comes to fruition remains to be seen, but the timing of the report certainly makes sense. Now that Grandal is no longer an option for teams around the league who are in the market for a catcher, the Marlins can legitimately pitch Realmuto as the primary difference-maker available. As shown in MLBTR’s Free Agent Tracker, light-hitting defensive specialist Martin Maldonado is the top remaining free agent. Pirates backstop Francisco Cervelliis an option on the trade market, but he’s earning north of $11MM next season, would be a one-year rental and has some concerning recent issues with concussions.

All six of the rumored suitors have deep farm systems that also feature high-end talent, with each of the bunch possessing multiple prospects currently ranked among the game’s 50 best minor leaguers (per both MLB.com and Fangraphs). However, teams throughout the league are increasingly reluctant to part with top-tier minor league talent — particularly when the prospective trade partner is also seeking a controllable MLB-level asset in return, as the Marlins appear to be doing in Realmuto discussions.

]]>312Jeff Toddhttps://www.mlbtraderumors.com/?p=1434012019-01-10T03:23:39Z2019-01-10T03:15:16ZThe on-again, off-again chatter surrounding the Braves and Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto has left an uncertain situation. While the Atlanta organization already seems to have a palatable situation behind the dish, with Brian McCann rejoining the org to pair with Tyler Flowers, it’s also one that is susceptible of improvement. In any event, the stalemate seemingly continues, though Craig Mish of MLB Network does tweet that the teams have been in contact of late regarding Realmuto. It’s far from clear that any progress has been made, though, as he says the Braves “appear to be waiting [the] Marlins out.” The Rays also “remain a possibility,” says Mish, though at this point it’s really anyone’s guess how things will turn out with regard to Realmuto, who’s a valuable enough asset that any number of other teams could conceivably still enter the picture or circle back if other offseason pursuits don’t pan out.

Meanwhile, talks between the Braves and the Tigers regarding outfielder Nicholas Castellanoshave gone nowhere since the two sides talked at last month’s Winter Meetings, Morosi tweets. The Braves are, of course, still looking far and wide for a corner outfielder and are “active” in their pursuit of that key need. With many options seemingly still on the table, though, the club appears to be content not to push hard for any particular player, which might increase the acquisition cost.

“There’s no timetable for a resolution” in the dispute between the Braves and first-round draft pick Carter Stewart, Gabriel Burns of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. As detailed by The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal (subscription required) in early October, the MLBPA filed a grievance claiming that Stewart failed to reach an agreement with the Braves after his physical turned up ligament damage in his wrist, and he’s now seeking to be declared a free agent by Major League Baseball. The grievance alleges that the Braves did not offer Stewart 40 percent of his slot value, which is the minimum offer that must be made to a player in order to receive a compensation pick in the following year’s draft. Stewart was the eighth overall pick in the 2018 draft, so Atlanta stands to be picking ninth overall in the 2019 draft unless Stewart’s grievance results in a favorable ruling for the young right-hander. Needless to say, it would be a big setback for the Braves if they missed out on such a high pick and received no compensation whatsoever, so this situation is certainly worth monitoring in the coming weeks or months until some decision is finally reached.

]]>131Ty Bradleyhttps://www.mlbtraderumors.com/?p=1424772019-01-04T00:30:10Z2019-01-04T00:30:10ZThe latest from the National League East . . .

Phillies right-hander Jerad Eickhoff, who made just three late-season appearances for the club in 2018 after battling wrist pain and numbness stemming from untreated carpal tunnel syndrome, is apparently feeling “100 percent” healthy this offseason after undergoing surgery on October 1, writes The Athletic’s Meghan Montemurro. During the moderately-invasive procedure, doctors found that Eickhoff’s palmaris longus tendon was reversed, a rare occurrence even in patients exhibiting symptoms of the ailment, and one that very likely had compounded his discomfort. With the pain-free outlook for 2019, the 28-year-old Eickhoff figures to be in the mix at the back end of a Philly rotation that currently includes Nick Pivetta, Vince Velasquez, and Zach Eflin. Acquired in the 2015 deal that sent Cole Hamels to Texas, Eickhoff is arguably the most accomplished of the bunch, having put together a career ERA south of four (3.91), though his fielding-independent metrics are a bit less propitious, and his stuff – a 90.8 MPH average career fastball that showed little signs of decline even in his supposed injury-hampered ’17 and ’18 seasons – clearly lags behind the rest.

Despite last summer’s near-ultimatum from current boss Brodie Van Wagenen to either extend or trade former client Jacob deGrom, the team has thus far held back from either. Though the former option remains a “priority,” per sources of the New York Post’s Mike Puma, the team has yet to even present an extension offer to the 30-year-old ace. The reigning Cy Young Award winner had a dream 2018, posting a minuscule 1.70 ERA/1.99 FIP on the way to 8.8 fWAR, the best season for a Mets starting pitcher since Dwight Gooden’s 1985 campaign. It’s unclear whether the Mets will be willing to pony up the necessary cash, which should be considerable, as the team has also co-ace Noah Syndergaard, four years deGrom’s junior, to consider, to say nothing of the huge payout guaranteed to Robinson Cano over the next five seasons.

Per The Athletic’s David O’Brien on Twitter, it doesn’t appear Miami’s asking price for catcher J.T. Realmuto has dropped much, if at all. Per O’Brien, “no new” discussions have taken place since December’s Winter Meetings, and Atlanta has “moved on” to other needs. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic writes that the Fish are still insisting on major-league pieces with three or more years of team control remaining for Realmuto, which has set off a veritable chain reaction of balking suitors around the league. It seems increasingly unlikely, at this point, that Miami will get what it desires for Realmuto, and the Fish could face stern brushback around the league if the catcher regresses his to offensive baseline from 2015-17 before next season’s trade deadline.